“Just because you move through a public space does not mean your body is a public space”

You’ve probably heard about Weinstein and Kevin Spacey. You’ve been hearing about Trump for a year now. You’ve maybe heard of Michael Fallon. You’ve probably heard about the #MeToo net phenomenon and you’ve certainly heard about the trail of debates left behind by the snowball effect of sexual harassment accusations. But what do you really know about the issue?

Pushed and encouraged by her class and English teacher Mrs Wagner, Romy Moore delivered on the 17th January to a full auditorium of a hundred or so pupils a presentation on street harassment. How very common these days, you would probably say, but you would be mistaken. With great sensitivity and gentleness, she asked each and everyone of her audience members how they felt, what they thought and what they might have experienced. Broad yet precise, Romy attempted to widen the horizon of our knowledge of the subject. Now what percentage of women have experienced some sort of street harassment in 2016 in New York? A few lucky guesses later she gave us the numbers: 96%. Proportion of women under 17 suffering from this kind of misbehaving? 90%. How many groped by strangers? 50% in the UK. She insisted on the terrible reality of the ongoing crisis that has been ignored by the authorities for so long.

Encouraging us to ask every question that came to mind, she attempted to explain what has been left on the side by many articles describing the phenomenon which are the causes of such disrespect and its epidemic nature. “Toxic masculinity”, she taught us, and the stereotypes that have been developed regarding men and women and how they “should be” are the very roots of what she describes as a “social issue”. Scattering anecdotes, from terrible to chucklesome, about her own experiences or the ones her classmates had shared with her, she opened our eyes on the appalling spread of street harassment and the heart-breaking grip it has on women’s lives. Romy then reminded us that change would only come through solidarity, urging us to make the choice of action when facing the "to help or not to help" dilemma. "Pledge to be a man whose strength is used for respect", she beseeched the boys in the room.

On this final note, the screen went dark et she started taking questions. Very calmly and patiently, given little or no time to plan her response, she brilliantly answered the many interrogations agitating the audience. Most notably, when asked to express her feelings about the letter to Le Monde signed by a hundred influential French women condemning the "witch hunt" that they believe the #MeToo movement and its French equivalent #BalanceTonPorc have become, she insisted upon every individual's right to express his opinion. Affirming that it wouldn't be right to impose a point of view on anyone, she nonetheless certified that change must happen for the others, the vast majority who are desperately calling for it.